About Singleton Park

Singleton Park resides in northwest Jacksonville adjacent to the Rufus E. Payne Elementary School, which is named for the man who in 1928 became the county’s first Supervisor of Negro Schools. The school was built in 1963, and the park, known as the Rufus E. Payne School Playground, opened soon thereafter. Duval County leased the site from the School Board and had renamed the playground Singleton Park by 1965. Following consolidation in 1968, the City took over the facility. The park is named for Isadore Singleton, husband of the well-known public servant, Mary Singleton. Prior to his death in 1964, Mr. Singleton was a civil rights activist, who also served as president of the Jacksonville Negro Chamber of Commerce, on the board of directors for Brewster Hospital, and as area coordinator for the Peace Corps.
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